Ex-Knicks star Jeremy Lin speaks out against racism toward Asian community
Jeremy Lin #7 of Beijing Ducks gestures during the 2019/2020 Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) league match between Shenzhen Aviators and Beijing Ducks at Guoxin Gymnasium on July 16, 2020 in Qingdao, Shandong Province of China. (Photo by VCG/VCG
Jeremy Lin, the former New York Knicks star who took the NBA by storm for a few weeks during the 2011-12 season, spoke out against racist attacks against Asians and Asian Americans.
Lin’s Facebook post on Thursday came in the wake of recent attacks on Asians and Asian Americans in San Francisco and New York City.
"Something is changing in this generation of Asian Americans. We are tired of being told that we don't experience racism, we are tired of being told to keep our heads down and not make trouble," Lin wrote. "We are tired of Asian American kids growing up and being asked where they're REALLY from, of having our eyes mocked, of being objectified as exotic or being told we're inherently unattractive. We are tired of the stereotypes in Hollywood affecting our psyche and limiting who we think we can be. We are tired of being invisible, of being mistaken for our colleague or told our struggles aren't as real.
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"I want better for my elders who worked so hard and sacrificed so much to make a life for themselves here. I want better for my niece and nephew and future kids. I want better for the next generation of Asian American athletes than to have to work so hard to just be ‘deceptively athletic.’"
Lin also explained that being Asian American didn’t mean that "we don’t experience poverty and racism" and wondered whether anyone was listening.
The former NBA player has spoken out about the discrimination he felt while he starred for the Harvard Crimson. He was also subjected to racial stereotypes while playing for the Knicks.
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Lin currently plays in the NBA G-League.
A recent spate of attacks against Asians and Asian Americans surfaced earlier this month in San Francisco and New York City. Activists have argued that the violence against the Asian community is part of a pattern of abuse related to the blame Asians have received for the coronavirus pandemic.